Morning journal and courier., 1887-08-12
THE VOLUNTEER WINS AGAIN.
Beating Four of the Fastest SIoop
 Ever Sailed in American Waters.

| Ever Sailed i'm American Waters.
 MARBLEHEAD, Mass, Aug 1.-The new
 steel sloop Volunteer won for herself to-day
 new laurels by defeating four of the fastest
 sloops ever built in this country and by lead
 ing from start to finish the largest and finest
 fleet of yachts that ever raced in eastern wa
 ters. The schooner Sachem, too which like
 the Volunteer was a Burgess boat, added
 another to her already long list of victories.
 The great contest of to day was the special 1 regatta of the Eastern Yacht club, which of 1 fered prizes of $250 for winners in the re- i spective classes, including schooners and
 first, second and third class sloops and cut l ters. Additional interest was attached to the
 race, too, by the offer of the Boston Herald of cup valued at S1 1000 to the successful l sloop in the first class. The entire affair was | very successfully managed and the occasion will be regarded as one of unusual interest for many reasons. The five great sIoops which contested for supremacy are all thought 1 by their owners to be capable of defending 1 the Americas cup and all were built for that especial purpose, while two of them have already defended the ancient trophy with success. Then in the other classes the rivalry was no less intense because the prizes were of smaller consequence, for the boats were evenly matched and had often before struggled with
 each other for the glory of winning for glo- rvs sake alone. Another reason why the
 day will be long remembered was that 1t
 brought to Marblehead the largest crowd of
 spectators that ever witnessed a yachting
 contest in New England. New Englanders
 are justly proud of to-day's victories, for it
 once more places her leading sloop and
 schooner in the front rank that they have
 held so long, and this, too, after contest
 with boats whose production was thought to
 have combined everything of which money
 and genius were capable.
 At an early hour this morning the weather
 was southerly and variable, but generally light. The indications were not favorable I for race and there was talk of postpone ment as rain was threatened at any moment. But the New York yachtsmen l
 were ayerse to remaining in Marblehead | over another day and night and it was de- | termined to have the race regardless of oth- l CT conditions if there was wind enough to ! take the yachts over the course. By o'clock | the fog lifted and the wind came rather | fresh from the southwest. This gave both | and promised fine sport, although there were | indications of rain still. At 10 o'clock the l race signal was set on the judges boat, the | tug Confidence, and active preparations l were at once made put the yachts in read | mess for the contest. In the meantime ev- cry train that came in from Boston and ! other parts Of New England brought | enormous crowds of people, and before II | o'clock the headlands on Marblehead Neck, the wharves along the harbor and the piazzas of cottages on the bluffs were black with l humanity. It is estimated that when the | fleet started there were fifty thousand people | gathered on points of vantage to witness | the spectacle. And the spectators were well l repaid, for a grander marine picture was never presented than that of the start of the
 squadron. Shortly after 10 o'clock the Vol
 unteer hoisted her mainsail, club topsail, forestaysaiI and jib and stood out toward | Half Way Rock, some four miles off the | mouth of the harbor, which was one of the 4 termini of the starting line, the other being | a stakeboat anchored half mile away. The | racing yachts and by an enor- nous fleet of other sail and | steam craft, and by II o'clock there were hundreds of vessels under sail and steam in the vicinity of the starting line. Among them were the steam yachts Electra, flagship
 
 modore Gerry;J. Pierrepont Morgan's Corsair, steam yachts Loganda, Lucille and Colonel | c. H. Taylor's Ocean Gem. Then there were the steamers Nantasket, City of Gloucester 1 some dozens of other steamers and tugs, all crowded to their fullest capacity witk sight seers. The sailboats that were used for ob- servation purposes were countless. There were, however, no accidents except to the racers, and these were due to natural causes.
 At il o'clock the preparatory signal was i, q hoisted showing that the course would be l buoy anchored off Harding's ledge, thence twelve miles to the southeast mark buoy and from this point to the start ing line, forming an equilateral triangle of thirty-six miles. As soon as the preparatory signal had been sounded the shippers of the racers began to maneuver for favorable posi- tions for crossing the line The scene at this time was beyond adequate description. The fog had entirely disappeared and the could be plainly seen covered with a dark fringe of humanity bent on sightsee- ing On the water the hundreds of sails were spread out in moving mass Of white 1 with intervals of blue where the waves danced between the darting and hurrying craft. For mile around Half Way Rock there was panorama of white sails and blue water, while out to windward the white caps contributed to the coloring of the picture. Just before the starting signal was sounded the big sloops and schooners were grouped on the harbor side of Half Way Rock and when at 11:30 the signal to cross the line was given all had favorable positions. The three big sloops, the Puritan, Volunteer and Atlantic, came bearing down upon the line almost exactly abreast on the port tack and all with mainsail, club and working topsails, | forestaysail, jib and jibtopsails set and draw ing finely. They went skimming across al- most as if hawsered together, the Puritan and Volunteer at 11:31:03 and the Atlantic at 11:31:O5. Then came the Mayfower at Il :32:10 and the Priscilla at 11:32:67. All stood off on the starboard tack on the beat to the windward over the first leg of the course In fifteen minutes after starting the Volunteer came about on the port tack, being followed five minutes later by the Atlantic and Priscilla. I The Puritan and Mayfower kept off on the starboard tack and here was done what all who witnessed it called some peculiar sailing by these two yachts. Instead of splitting , tacks or trying to take any advantage in the windward work the Puritan and Mayfiower still held their course nearly due south, l while the Volunteer, Atlantic and Priscilla were making short tacks and working we'll to windward. The Mayfower had gone far to leeward on this tack and this no doubt ac- counts for her poor showing at the finish, l while the Puritan being headed more to west ! ward went far to windward of MT. Morgan's new acquisition. The Volunteer had taken 8 good lead Wltn1n nVe minutes aIter cross l ing the line and on every tack outpointed l and outfooted both the Atlantic and Priscil- Ia. At 1915 both the Puritan and May flower were hull down to leeward and neither had yet tackled since starting. Right here it may be stated that rumors were prevalent after the race that there was side issue to be settled between the Puritan and the Mayfower and both sacri6c- ed their chances of winning regatta prizes for the sake of defeating the others. It cer- tainly appeared as if something of the sort were going on, for everybody criticized the action of the masters of both sloops for run ming them so far to leeward CaptainC nCrocker, of the Puritan, however, being familiar with generated Captain Craven of the Mayfower, for when he had led the latter as far leeward as possible the Puritan was put about on the port tack for long reach toward the lead ers In this work the Puritan did marvellous work and her splendid sailing led many to believe that had she not been handicapped